Container closure with safety type fastener



April 22, 1958 D. D. ASPENES CONTAINER CLOSURE WITH SAFETY TYPE FASTENER Filed July 31. 1956 United States Patent 2,831,595 CONTAINER CLOSURE wrrn SAFETY TYPE FASTENER Donald D. Aspeues, River Falls, Wis.

Application July 31, 1956, Serial No. 601,297

2 Claims. (Cl. 215-9) The present invention relates to an improved closure for a container, generally classified, and has reference, more specifically speaking, to a medicine bottle or the like, a closure therefor, and novel fastening means for effectively securing the closure.

Closures such as stoppers, caps and equivalent adaptations do not, ordinarily speaking, require fastening devices. However, in connection with chemical, medicinal, and pharmaceutical products, it is not at all unusual to safeguard the contents of a bottle by providing coacting elements between the bottle and cap to guard against accidental removal of the cap. Although the problem under consideration has resulted in the issuance of many patents on fastener-equipped closures, such inventions do not appear to have met with widespread adoption and use. Therefore, it is a matter of daily occurrence that small children continue to investigate medicine bottles and the like in a medicine chest and unknowingly sample what turns out to be a dangerous, sometimes a death dealing drug. Elderly people, too, with poor eyesight and lack of ordinary caution are likewise victims of carelessly taking wrong medicines. It follows that the problem of coping with the dangers of home practices continues unsolved.

To the end that a more satisfactory solution is now and herein at hand, it is the objective in the instant presentation to provide acap for a medicine bottle, to provide the bottle with a shoulder functioning as a keeper, and a cap with a controllable latching finger, the latter cooperating with the shoulder in such a way that the cap may be normally or regularly latched in a closed position and may be unlatched for opening only after certain prerequisite conditions have been complied with.

More specifically, the invention pertains to a bottle, the neck of which is provided interiorly with a rib which is fastened securely in place and which provides a keeper of considerable length, said rib having a restricted notch or opening therein to permit the passage of a cooperating end portion of a rotatably mounted latch, that is, one

which is rotatable on the applicable and removable cap, I

whereby when the latch is engaged with any portion of the keeper or shoulder, the cap is secure against displacemetn, and when the latch is lined up with the notch, the cap may be readily applied or removed.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent in the following description and the accompanying sheet of illustrative, but not restrictive, drawings,

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a fragmentary portion of a bottle or so-called medicine container illustrating the attachable and detachable closure or cap having a safety-type fastening means incorporated therein;

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale which may be said to be taken centrally through the structure seen in Fig. 1 and with portions appearing in section and elevation and with the retaining latch in its open or released position;

Fig. 3 is a section on the horizontal line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view observing the underneath side of the detachable cap or cover.

Referring now to the drawings with the aid of reference numerals, the container may be any jar, bottle, can or the like and is here conveniently referred to as a medicine bottle, for example, one in which dangerous or equivalent drugs might likely be stored. The bottle is conveniently denoted by the numeral 6 and the upper portion is reduced to provide a shouldered neck 8. This serves to accommodate' the depending, annular rim portion 10 of the attachable and detachable cap, the lid portion of which is denoted at 12. The cap as an entity may be conveniently referred to by the numeral 14. As before mentioned, the keeper on the interior of the bottle takes the form of a rigid or integral rib 16, the underneath side of which provides a latching ledge or shoulder 18. This serves to accommodate the outer latching end portion 20 of the latch arm 22. The latter is secured at its inner end to a swiveling or turning pin 24 rotatable in a bearing 26 provided therefor in the central portion of the lid. The upper portion of the pin is provided with a disc-like member 28 and this is rotatable in the correspondingly shaped, relatively shallow recess 30. Superimposed on the rotatable portion 28 is a substantially triangular boss 32, having a projection providing a finger knob or grip34. The pointed or apical end 36, as seen in Fig. 1, provides a pointer, and this is coordinated with the latch finger and also with the index media on the rim and bottle to cooperate in the manner shown. In other words, on the bottle there is the word open and suitable indicia 38 with which similar indicia 40 on the rim 10 is registrable. In other words, the features 36, 38 and 4e cooperate with each other and the latch finger to show when the latch finger is in a position which registers with the space or notch existing between the terminal end portions 42 of the aforementioned rib.

A bottle and cap with the facilities incorporated therein as herein described and shown provides a practical and reliable adaptation, the use of which will solve the problem set forth in the introductory portion of the instant specification.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a medicine bottle having an open neck portion and provided interiorly with an integral rib substantially ring-like in plan and the entire lower edge of which is flat and functions as keeper means, a minimum portion of said rib being cut out at a prescribed place and providing spaced ends, said neck portion being provided exteriorly thereof with a relatively stationary index embodying the word open, and said index being in cooperative alignment with said clearance notch, a readily applicable and removable cap fitted on said neck portion, a latch finger mounted on the underneath side of the cap and having its outerend cooperable with the notch and keeper means on said rib, and means arranged exterierly" of said cap and rotatably mnunting the inner References Cited in the file of this patent and of the latch finger on the central portion of the cap and including a visible rotatable indicator selectively UNITED STATES PATENTS registrable with said index. 1,174,278 Prier, Mar. 7, 1916 2. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein said 5 1,653,456 Frisbie Dec. 20, 1927 indicator is provided with a finger grip. 2,647,294 Davis Aug. 4, 1953 

